The Expert Spotlight for our Official Smartphone Rankings

The Samsung Galaxy S III became available in the U.S. last week via T-Mobile so most of our experts have had their hands on both the State side, and global version of the device. As you can tell by the voting, they love it. Love both models. So in honor of this flagship new Galaxy device from Samsung we spotlight the experts that love it as well. Aaron Baker, Sydney Myers, and Anthony Domanico will explain below why the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S III global are filling their #1 and #2 spots.

Samsung's Galaxy S III series continues to be on the top for me, as they provide the best blend of features and power - not to mention their availability on four major US carriers. Apple's iPhone 4S stays in third place due to ease of use and the media ecosystem, while the HTC EVO 4G LTE is HTC's current flagship and offers some great features like a 2,000 mAh battery and Android 4.0. Rounding out the list is the HTC One S - another great device from HTC and a member of the one line. With a 4.3-inch display, it's the perfect size for many.

It may seem redundant to have the Galaxy S III on the list twice, but the difference between the two on here is that the first one is the international version with a quad-core processor and the second one is the U.S. version with a dual-core Snapdragon processor. That explained, even the toned down U.S. version tops the charts over other American devices due to its still amazing HD display, large battery, and unique software features. The EVO 4G LTE and One X are nothing to scoff about and are certainly viable options if you're more of an HTC fan. The iPhone 4S barely stays on my list but it earns its spot with sexy hardware, consumer appeal, and for the fact that it still has the best cell phone camera on the market.

What more can be said about the Galaxy S III... the phone so nice, I made it the top of my list twice. Yes, the Galaxy S III has taken the top two spots on my list this week, and it deserves it. It is currently the best phone on the market, and anyone who buys it is going to be happy. Unless, of course, you're knee deep in Apple's ecosystem and don't want to re-purchase applications.I easily see the Galaxy S III being the best phone out there until the next iPhone is released.

Speaking of the iPhone, yes the 4S remains a solid device and takes the number 3 spot in the rankings. As far as spots 4 and 5, it's a toss-up between the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which saw a price drop to $349 unlocked). I gave the nod to the One X due to that superb camera. Easily the best phone camera outside the Pureview 808 (and, perhaps, the iPhone 4S, though that's a toss-up as well).

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